This is the web version of dot.LA’s daily newsletter. Sign up to get the latest news on Southern California’s tech, startup and venture capital scene.
As Americans were still mourning the mass shootings at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods and Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., we were confronted with yet another atrocious act of gun violence in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday—a school shooting that left 21 people, including 19 elementary school children, dead.
In the wake of Uvalde, I spoke to Burçin Becerik-Gerber, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering. Becerik-Gerber is part of a team developing a research project that aims to create an immersive, virtual reality experience to be used as training for an active shooter event. The researchers are currently working with USC’s Office of the Provost to test the platform and understand its effectiveness.
“We learned that virtual reality could be a very impactful training platform for incidents,” Becerik-Gerber told me. “Because drills are not enough, and watching video-based training is not enough, to be able to equip yourself in an unfortunate event like the ones that we had this week.”
Becerik-Gerber and her team are deploying a game-based virtual approach to training people how to respond during such events. The project looks to put trainees in a virtual scenario involving an active shooter—as well as other non-player characters such as the simulated occupants of a building—to help them learn what they should do if they find themselves in that situation. In addition to the training itself, the platform will also include instantaneous feedback; for example, if the participant decides to hide in a room where they don't lock the door or turn off the lights, the training will provide them with feedback informing them of such steps to better ensure their safety.
While it’s unfortunate that VR technology has to be deployed this way, the reality is that so far this year there have been a total of 27 school shootings, and counting, across the U.S. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 200 mass shootings in 2022 to date, which is on pace to be an improvement on the remarkable 692(!) mass shootings that the U.S. saw in 2021.
Some school districts, including the Los Angeles Unified, are ramping up their safety measures by adding security cameras and increasing training among students and faculty. Still, Becerik-Gerber has concerns about the effectiveness of “passively watching an instructor or video,” arguing that virtual reality allows people to more thoroughly walk through high-stakes scenarios. “You are practicing how to do these things—because we don’t have the opportunity to practice this in real life,” she noted.
But these days, no amount of preparation can assuage fears about the next mass shooting that will pop up on our news alerts. With a younger sister who’s still in high school, I personally feel that fear every day. If technology like Becerik-Gerber’s training platform can help save lives, I hope it’s used by schools and other facilities all across the country. — Decerry Donato
Tesla's Dinner-and-a-Movie Charging Concept
Elon Musk first floated the idea of a drive-in restaurant that also serves as an electric vehicle charging station back in 2018. That idea could soon become a reality in Hollywood, at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Orange Drive.
Jadu Uses AR To Bring Blockchain Gaming to the Real World
Augmented reality startup Jadu has raised $36 million for its Web3 gaming platform that allows users to roam the real world with their NFT avatars.
Esports Team TSM Clears CEO of Harassment
TeamSoloMid (TSM) released the findings of two separate investigations: One cleared CEO Andy Dinh of workplace harassment allegations; another found a former “League of Legends” coach embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars.
How to Startup Part 3: Pitching
Raising capital is critical for any startup, and the ability to quickly interest someone in your company is crucial. Zillow co-founder and dot.LA executive chairman Spencer Rascoff offers some tips.
This Week in ‘Raises’: Redbud Reels in $46M
In this week’s “Raises,” Redbud Brands reeled in $46 million, management software startup BuildOps raised $43 million and organic women’s care brand Rael landed $35 million.
This Week in ‘Moves’: Pilotly Taps a Former Hulu Exec
This week in “Moves,” For The Record promoted its president to CEO, a former Hulu and Vevo exec joined Pilotly and HyreCar appointed a new CTO.
What We’re Reading Elsewhere...
- Relativity Space plans to launch its first 3D printed rocket this summer.
- Rivian shuffles its executive ranks, seeing off a top manufacturing exec.
- Snapchat launches a new feature to make it easier to collaborate and share stories.
- The X Games will return to California this summer, debuting two new sports.
- Pet supply startup Giving Paws aims to support more homeless pets.
----
How Are We Doing? We're working to make the newsletter more informative, with deeper analysis and more news about L.A.'s tech and startup scene. Let us know what you think in our survey, or email us!
- VIrtual Reality Could Be the Future of Pain Management - dot.LA ›
- GIGXR's Partners With the Air Force Academy on VR Training - dot.LA ›
- Talespin's VR Employee Training Program - dot.LA ›
